Mahavishnu Orchestra Quiz | Music

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1. Mahavishnu Orchestra was formed in New York by guitarist John McLaughlin. What was the nationality of McLaughlin, who had just finished playing together with Tony Williams and Lifetime?

Answer: English

John McLaughlin was born in Doncaster, England in 1942. He went to New York in the late 1960s and played together with Tony Williams and Khaled Yaseen. He also recorded some albums with Miles Davis who suggested that he was ready to form his own band.

2. Mahavishnu Orchestra was a multinational band that included a Panamanian drummer, an Irish bassist, a Czechoslovakian keyboardist and an American violinist. Who was the Czechoslovakian?

Answer: Jan Hammer

Jan Hammer was born in Prague in 1948 but following the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 he went for studies in New York. He became a US citizen. Billy Cobham was the drummer from Panama, Rick Laird the bassist from Ireland and Jerry Goodman the violist from the United States.

3. The first album by the band was released in November 1971. What was its name, which roughly translated could have meant "Situated inside gradually increasing powerful feeling"?

Answer: The Inner Mounting Flame

The wholly instrumental album contained eight tracks with a total playing time of 46:15 minutes. All tracks were written by John McLaughlin, who also produced the album. The album charted at 11 in the US Billboard's Jazz Albums for 1972 and at number 89 in the US Billboard's Pop Albums.

4. One of the tracks on the first album by Mahavishnu Orchestra was called "The Dance of _____" followed by the name of which Mesoamerican civilisation?

Answer: Maya

The track was on side two of the album and it was the longest track on it with a playing time of 7:17 minutes. Other tracks on the album were "Meeting of the Spirits", "A Lotus on Irish Streams" , "Vital Transformation" and "You Know You Know". From the options given only Maya was Mesoamerican.

5. The second album by Mahavishnu Orchestra was released in early 1973. The album title had something to do with avian conflagration. Can you guess what it was?

Answer: Birds of Fire

This album was also instrumental and had ten tracks and a total playing time of 39:53 minutes. All tracks were written by John McLaughlin with the production credited to Mahavishnu Orchestra. The album charted at 15 in the US Billboard's Pop Albums for 1973. On the back cover of the album there is a poem by Sri Chinmoy called "Revelation". One of the verses reads "Above the toil of life my soul Is a Bird of Fire Winging the Infinite".

6. One of the tracks on the second album by Mahavishnu Orchestra was called "Miles Beyond ". To whom did John McLaughlin dedicate the track?

Answer: Miles Davis

Miles Davis was McLaughlin's friend and a man that influenced John's career. The longest track on the album was "One Word" with a playing time of 9:57. Other tracks on the album are "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters", "Thousand Island Park" and "Sanctuary". The design of the album is credited to Ashok (Chris Poisson). The album was released by CBS.

7. There were plans for the release of a third studio album by Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1973 which were scrapped and a live album "Between Nothingness & Eternity" was released instead. Who was credited with writing the track "Sister Andrea"?

Answer: Jan Hammer

The album contained three tracks, the other two being "Trilogy: Sunlit Path/La Mere de la Mer/Tomorrow's Story Not the Same" and "Dream" both written by John McLaughlin. Towards the end of 1973 the band broke up because as McLaughlin notes "the band become too successful in a very short time and the atmosphere in the band became untenable to me".

8. Following the break-up a second incarnation of Mahavishnu Orchestra appeared in 1974. Who was the French violinist of the band who also had played with Frank Zappa?

Answer: Jean-Luc Ponty

Ponty was born in Avranches, Normandy in 1942. He was invited by Frank Zappa to join the Mothers of Invention and he settled in the USA. All people listed were members of the band. Gayle Moran was on keyboards, Ralphe Armstrong on bass and Narada Michael Walden on percussion.

9. The first album by the second incarnation of Mahavishnu Orchestra was released in 1974. What was the revelational title of the album?

Answer: Apocalypse

"Apocalypse" was released in 1974 and was produced by George Martin. It was recorded together with the London Symphony Orchestra. There were five tracks on the album "Power of Love", "Vision is a Naked Sword", "Smile of the Beyond", "Wings of Karma" and "Hymn to Him". For the first time ever there were vocals on the album. All the compositions were by John McLaughlin.

10. The second album by the second incarnation of Mahavishnu Orchestra was released in 1975. The title of the album was "Visions of the Chromic Beyond". What colour, which is also the birthstone for May, completes the title replacing the placeholder "Chromic"?

Answer: Emerald

"Visions of the Emerald Beyond" contained 13 tracks all of which were composed by John McLaughlin with the exception of "Cosmic Strut" which was composed by Narada Michael Walden. The album was produced by Ken Scott and John McLaughlin. Other tracks on the album include "Eternity's Breath - Part 1", "Eternity's Breath - Part 2", "On the Way Home to Earth" and "Lila's Dance" which is the longest track on the album.

Source: Author gme24

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Mahavishnu Orchestra Trivia Quiz

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